Engine.



G. I. LEONARD.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-6| I911.

Patented June 18, 1918.

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G. I. LEONARD.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. a. 191 z.

Patented June 18, 191.8.

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ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 19H. 1,270,037. Patented June 18, 191&

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ENGINE? APPLICAT ION FILED SEPT. 6.1917.

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G. I. LEONARD.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, I917.

Patented June 18, 1918.

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ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED sums. 1917.

1 70,037. Patented June 18, 1918.

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ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6. 1911..

1,270,037. Patented June 18, 1918'.

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4 rw wgjt ki En STATES PATENT ornion.

GEORGE I. LEONARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNO R TO LEONARD VALVELESSENGINE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 18, 1918.

Application filed September 6, 1917. Serial No. 189,958.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE I. LEONARD, a citizen of the United States,residin at Chicago, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Engines, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to engines of the type employingintermeshing gears, driven by the introduction of a,

fluid, such as steam, into the intermeshing portions of the gears; andmy object, generally stated, is to provide improvements in engines ofthis general type to the end that greater power may be obtained from theengine, the wear of parts reduced to the minimum, and smoother runningobtained.

Referring to the, accompanying drawmgs- Figure 1 is a view in endelevation, showing the inlet pipe in section, of an engine constructedin accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a section taken at the line2--2 on Figs. 1 and 4, and viewed in the direction of the arrows, thegears through which the section is taken being shown in elevation. Fig.3 is a section taken at the line 2-2 on Figs. 1 and 4, but showing thegears in section. Fig. 4 is a section taken at the line, 4-4 on Fig. 2,and viewed in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 5 is a section taken atthe line 5-5 on Fig. 3 and 7 viewed in thedirection of the arrows. Fig.

9, a section taken at the irregular line 99 on Fig. 8 and viewed in thedirection of the arrows. f

According to the illustrated, preferred embodiment of my invention, asshown in Figs. 1 to 7,inclusive, I employ a central gear 10 and aplurality of intermeshing gears 11, of relatively small diameter,grouped about the periphery of the gear 10,

preferably at equal intervals, and provide for the introduction of thedriving fluid, such as steam, into the intermeshing portions of all ofthe gears. The gear 10, which is preferably formed of two sections and12 and 13, forming a 'gear of the herringbone variety, as shown in Fig.2, is rigidly secured, as by a key 14 to a shaft 15, constituting thedrive-shaft of the engine and journaled at its opposite ends inball-bearings 16 and 17, located in openings in plates 18 and 19,respectively, disposed at opposite sides of the gear 10 and rigidlysecured in fiatwise condition against the ends of a circular member 20,which forms with the plates 18 and 19, a casing for the gears. The gears11- are also provided in sections represented at21 and 22, thesesections being so constructed and arranged, as shown, as to presentgears of the herringbone type intermeshing with the teeth of the gear10. The gears 11 are secured to shafts 23, journaled in ball-bearings24: and 25, in the plates 18 and 19, respectively. The ringshaped member20 contains a circumferential series of circular openings 26 in whichthe gears 11 have journal fit, and an 0 ening 27 in which the gear 10has journa fit, theportions ofv the ring-member 20, which extendadjacent to the points of intermesh of the gears 11, with the gear 10being represente at 28, and of the shape shown in Figs. 4 and 7. Themember 20 also contains a series of openings 29 extending transvverselythereof and alternating with the openings 26, these openings extendingentirely through the member 20, as represented more particularly in Fig.6; and radially inward of each of the openin '29 the member 20 isrecessed, as indicated at 30, to provide conduits for the driving fluidemployed, which is supplied to these conduits through a supply-pipe 31,communicating with an annular chamber 32 in the plate 18 and incommunication with these conduits through short passages 33 in' thisplate, each one of these conduits 30 opening into a passage 34 extendingradially of the engine and discharging into a recess 35 in the portion28 of the member 20, thereby forming what may be termed a fluid-jet,which is located closely adjacent the lntermeshmg ortions of the gearsand at the apexes'of t e teeth on the gears, as represented in Fig. 6-,it L Y being understood that one of these fluidjets is provided adjacenteach gear 11, as

' grooves between the teeth of the gears willbe brought successiyelyinto registration with the respective recesses 36 with which theycooperate and thus permit of the efpressure from the gears, ashereinafter more fully explained. The plate 19 at the opposite side ofthe engine is recessed, as ex plained of the plate 18 at 3'6 and 37, sothat the gears 11 will exhaust at their opposite ends simultaneously,these recesses in the case of the plate 19 being represented at 38. Theexhausting of the spent fluid from the casing takes place'through theplate 19, and to this end the recesses 38 communicate, as through themedium of branch passages 39, with an annular passage '40 formed 1n thisplate and connunicating with the exhaust- I pipe 41.

The operation of the engine is as follows:

distributed to the various fluid-jets 35, through the ring 32 andpassages 33 and 40, from whence it discharges into the intermeshingportions of the gears 11 and 10, with the result of rotating the gearslland the gear 10 in the direction of the respective arrows.

As the spaces at the ends of the gears 10 and 11 move into registrationwith the portions 37 of the recesses 36 in the plate 18 and thecorrespondingrecesses in the plate 19, the spent fluid-pressure exhaustsand passes from the engine through the exhaust being illustrated by thearrow in Fig.4 5.

It is'preferred that the" form of the re-- ticall-y all of the spentfluid carried over 1 between the teeth of these gears is free to beforced, by the action of the intermeshing 35 about which the cooperatinggears are" pressure exerted in the operation of the enfecting of theexhausting of the spent fluid- The driving fluid enters the intake 31and is" 41, the way in which the exhaust from these gears takes place atone end 0 the. engine,

gears,through the eldS of the gears and into grouped, preferablyequi-distantly, with provision for the introduction of the operatingfluid against the intermeshing portions of the gears, is very desirable,inasmuch as the gine is substantially uniformly distributed about acenter and relatively great power is obtainable, with great economy ofspace.

According to the construction shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the inlet,instead. of, being through the face of the gears, is provided atopposite ends thereof; the exhaust, 1nstead of being at the ends of thegears, is through the faces thereof; and the teeth of the gears areinclined reversely to the teeth of the gears of the preceding describedcon struction, as shown-in Fig. 9. In this arrangement the inletpassages are represented at 42, these passages communicating at oppositesidesrof the engine-casing, with annular channels 43, which wouldconnect with any suitable source of fluid-pressure supply as a drivingagen t, these inlets 42 being located in the end-plates 18 and 19 of thecasing and adjacent the intermeshing portions of the gears, asillustrated in Fig. 8. The exhaust passages, a plurality of which arepreferably'provided for each gear 11,. are represented at 44, thesepassages being lo cated in the portions of the member 20 which extendinto the spaces provided between-the adjacent gears, the forwardtaperingportions thereof, and which are represented at 28 in thepreceding described-structure, being cut away along the entire'length ofthe gears, as represented, to provide a space 45 in communication withthe exhaust-passages 44, to insure exhausting without back-pressure, theexhaust-passages 44 opening into the recesses 38 provided in the member30, and in communication with separate exhaust pipes 46, which, bypreference, would communicate-with an exhaust manifold (not shown). Inthisarrangement, because of the exhausting intermediate the ends of thegears, the plates '18 an'd19 do not contain the recesses 36 and 37, asdescribed of the construction illustrated vin the preceding figures. 7

While 'I have illustrated and described certain cdnstructions inwhich myinvention may be embodied, I do; not wish tobe un-' derstoodas'intendingtto limit it thereto, as various modifications andalterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of myinvention, it being my intention -to claim my invention as fully. and'completely as the prior state of the art will permlt.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent isi 1;Anengine comprising, in combination, intermeshing gears, a casing forsaid gears, inlet ports in said casing for admitting fluid underpressure into the intermeshing portions of said gears, and exhaust-portsin the side walls of said casing opposite the ends of said gears andextending close to the line of mesh of the gears on the low-pressureside. 7

2. An engine comprising, in combination, intermeshing gears, a casingfor said gears,

A inlet ports in said casing for admitting fluid coming fluid.

3. An engine comprising, in combination, intermeshing herring-bonegears, a casing for said gears, inlet ports in said casing for admittingfluid under pressure into the intermeshing portions of said gears, andexhaust-ports in the side walls of said casing opposite the ends of saidgears and extending close to the line of mesh of the gears on thelow-pressure side.

t. An engine comprising, in combination, intermeshing herring-bonegears, a casing for said gears, inlet ports'in said casing for admittingfluid under pressure into the inter-meshing portions of said gears, andexhaust-ports in the side walls of said casing opposite the ends ofsaidgears and extending close to the line of mesh of the gears on thelow-pressure side, the vertex of the tooth angle of said gears extendingin the direction of the incoming fluid.

5. An engine comprising, in combination, a central herring-bone gear, aplurality of herring-bone gears interineshing with said central gear,'acasing for said gears, said casing closely fitting about said gearsexcept at the areas at which said gears inter-mesh, said casing beingformed with side plates, a. manifold on one of said side plates, inletports communicating with said manifold for admitting fluid underpressure into the inter-meshing portions of said gears between the endsthereof at one side of the line of centers of said gears, andexhaust-ports in the end'walls of said casing at the outer ends of thegears, on the opposite side of the line of their centers, the portsbeing so constructed and arranged that the vertices of the anglespresented by the gears extend to ward the incoming fluid.

GEORGE I. LEONARD.

